From Secret Santa to Valentine
by ylemon
Summary: Just a fluffy piece because it's THAT time of the year again.
1. Chapter 1

**From Secret Santa to Valentine**

Author's note: I'm not forgetting I've another story going on but I needed to put this idea on the paper.

 **One month before Christmas**

'A secret Santa?'

DI Thomas Lynley looked incredulously at the secretary of the division, Dorothea Harriman.

'Yes. You can see it as a team building event. You don't have to participate, of course, it's totally voluntary but the more people involved the better.'

'How does it work?'

'Simple, really. You write your name on a paper and you put the paper in an envelope. At the end of November, you'll pick a name in the envelope and you buy a little present to the person whose name's on the paper. There's a fix price range for the gifts: they should cost between £10 and £25.'

'£25? That's not much for a gift.'

'It's the thought that counts and that way everybody can participate.'

'And if I don't like the name on the paper I picked?' Lynley asked innocently.

'No cheating, inspector. The only reason you can put a paper back into the envelope is if your name's on it. However, I won't check if it _really_ is your name on the paper,' she added with a knowing smile.

Lynley smiled back. That's what he liked in Dee: sometimes they understood each other without speaking, a bit like with Havers. Speaking of which…

'Have you a lot of participants already?'

'A fair amount, yes, I've more than thirty names for the moment, from the DI to the DC.'

Dee didn't say more. She knew what Lynley wanted to know but she took malicious pleasure in letting him stew.

'Not Ardery?'

'The Super said she'd join if I needed a name to get an even number.'

'Did she? Good. What about Philip ?'

'DI Hale is in.'

'Good, very good. Winston's in too, I suppose?'

'Sergeant Nkata was one of the first to enter his name.'

'True to form.'

Lynley was trying to act casually but he was a bit too absorbed in the contemplation of the bottom of his coffee cup. Dee pitied him and added, as if off the top of her head:

'Sergeant Havers entered her name too.'

Lynley's head jerked back. He stared at the blond secretary, then narrowed his eyes and asked:

'Dee, are you still collecting funds for the police orphans?'

'Yes,' she replied not committing herself. 'Why?'

'Because in this case, I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Hatton Garden, 10 January**

'Why rob a jeweller's after Christmas? The shelves are empty now.'

DS Barbara Havers wasn't talking to anyone in particular but her remark caught the ear of the manager of the luxury shop.

'We had just received the new items to be put on display for Valentine's day. We had some remarkable jewels made with the rarest gems.'

'Were they on display yet?' DS Winston Nkata asked.

'No, they were still in the safes in the storage room where the tunnel the thieves dug ends.'

The two detectives exchanged a look.

'Who knew you had received them?'

'Very few people: the carrier, my main salesman and myself. And I guess no more than one or two people at our supplier's. We are always very discreet when we receive new items. We don't use armoured trucks not to raise suspicion. The jewels are carried by foot in a suitcase, never by the same carrier, never at the same time.'

'So the guys dig a tunnel that ends in the storage room, and start emptying the safe. At some point your security guard notices something, he comes down to the safe, falls on the thieves and they shoot him,' Winston summarized.

'It seems so, yes.'

'We'll need a list of the stolen items,' Barbara told the manager.

'I have it in my office if you want to follow me.'

'DS Havers will go with you. I'll stay here; SOCO should be done soon,' Winston said.

The manager's office was an overheated room with sleek modern furniture. The manager gestured to Barbara to take a chair while he searched his file. She unzipped her big red ski anorak and squeezed herself into the uncomfortable designer chair.

After a while the manager found his list and handed it to her. Doing so his eyes rested on her necklace and its greenish stone.

'Excuse-me, Sergeant, may I have a look at your necklace?'

'Don't go imagining things; it's not a real one. Secret Santa brought it to me so it should cost less than £ 25 but I like it,' she explained as she handed him the necklace.

The manager took his eye loupe and examined the stone.

After a few minutes, he looked up at the detective who has grown more and more puzzled.

'I don't know who your secret Santa was but this gem is worth a lot more than £25.'

'Are you sure?'

'What you have here is an uncut emerald that promises to be of the finest water.'

'An emerald?'

'Its purity is remarkable. I know only one other stone with this purity and colour.'

The manager typed something on his computer keyboard then turned the screen towards Barbara. A magnificent necklace set with diamonds was displayed. The central stone was a huge emerald. Barbara's eyes opened like saucer cups.

'You're kidding. My necklace can't compare with this one.'

'I assure you the gems are similar. Your emerald comes certainly from the same vein than the Asherton.'

Barbara's eyes darted towards the manager.

'Did you say the Asherton?'

'Yes, it's the name of that wonderful emerald. Traditionally the Countess of Asherton receives it at the birth of the first male child. Over the years it has been set several times on different jewels. The one you see here is the latest one. It was created, let me see…'

'About forty years ago?'

It was the manager's turn to be surprised.

'That's correct but how do you know?'

But Barbara had already left the room.

To the uniform standing guard at the door she said:

'If DS Nkata's looking for me, tell him I'm at Lynley's.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Belgravia, 16 January**

DRING ! DRING ! DRING ! DRRRRIIIIINNNNG ! DRRRIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNG !

Barbara rang the bell furiously at Lynley's luxurious town house in Eaton Terrace.

The anger had only raised during the drive from the jewellery shop to Lynley's home and she was venting a part of it at the poor doorbell.

When Charlie Denton opened the door she rushed inside and yelled:

'Where is he?!'

Behind his thick lenses, Denton opened big round eyes that made Barbara think of an owl.

'Upstairs…' he managed to mumble as Barbara passed him by like a fury. 'He's in bed!' he shouted after her but she had already climbed half the stairs.

On the floor she hesitated a fraction of a second: which room was Lynley's? She knew the library was on her left so she opted for the first door on her right.

She opened the door abruptly and made Lynley jump.

He was leaning against his pillows, in his pyjamas. He had a book on his lap but his reading glasses had slipped halfway down his nose, telling Barbara he had probably been asleep when she'd entered his bedroom.

He looked terrible. Pale and drawn, and with watery eyes. A big box of tissues was standing on his bedside table near a bottle of hydroalcoholic gel. By the bed, within easy reach, a waste paper basket was half full of used tissues.

'Havers?' he croaked before having a coughing fit that left him out of breath. He was wheezing and Barbara felt her anger fade.

'What's this?' she asked coldly, throwing her necklace on the bed.

'By the look of it, I'd say a necklace,' he replied as if he were seeing it for the first time.

Her anger rose again.

'This is not a necklace, it's a bloody emerald!'

'Doesn't look like it. Excuse-me,' he loudly blew his nose.

'It's an uncut stone!'

'Ah, really? What's it got to do with me?' he asked innocently.

'What makes you think it has anything to do with you?'

'The fact that you're raising hell in my bedroom seems a good clue or perhaps are you trying to catch my bronchitis to have a few days at home? Not worth it if you ask me.'

He coughed again, a loose cough that looked painful.

'I was in Hatten Garden, a robbery that ended badly. In a luxury jewellery shop. It's the manager who told me it was an uncut emerald. I had no idea, you could guess. He told me it was a high quality one and showed me a similar stone.'

Was it her imagination or was Lynley turning even paler? Without mercy, she went on:

'The Asherton, it's called. It's in a necklace that belongs to your mother. Now, can you tell me how I came into possession of an uncut emerald that looks like the Asherton?'

'You know how it came into your hands, Barbara.' His voice was hoarse and low. Barbara couldn't tell if it was because of the illness or the emotion.

'Secret Santa. The limit was £25, I remember. Don't tell me you respected that rule!'

Lynley smiled.

'I plead guilty. And since you're here to hear my confession, I tampered the draw too. I convinced Dee to give me your paper in exchange of a donation to the police orphans.'

'But why? Why?'

Lynley took the necklace and caressed delicately the stone.

'Because it makes me think of you. Hard and raw on the outside; incredibly beautiful inside.'

'You should have quite a raging fever to say this.'

'I wasn't ill when I choose the stone, I wasn't ill when I had it set or when I gave it to you. I wanted to give you something precious but I knew you wouldn't accept it so I cheated. I realize now it was a bad idea; I should have been honest with you.'

'A bit late now. Anyway, I can't accept.'

Lynley sighted wearily; he looked exhausted.

'I don't want to argue, Barbara, I've no strength for it now, but would you please reconsider your position?'

'I can't; it's too much.'

'It didn't cost me that much if it's what's bothering you. I simply chose the gem from a collection we have at Howenstow. Dates back to my great-great-grand father at least. We never did anything with them, except the necklace you saw. I thought I'd make a good use of it. You mean a lot to me, Barbara. More than that stone; more than anything else. I think I'm in love with you.'

The long explanation left him out of breath and he put back his head on his pillow. He was looking at her, expecting and dreading her reaction.

'I shouldn't have come here,' Barbara said suddenly. 'You're not well and you need to rest. We'll talk about this when you're feeling better.'

'Are you fleeing?'

'No!' _Or am I? Yes, probably_.

Lynley held the necklace out to her.

'Keep it, Barbara. Please. No one knows it's an emerald.'

'I know what it is,' she replied stubbornly.

 _And I know what it means._

'It's not an engagement ring, Barbara. Please keep it. As a gift from a friend if anything. You deserve it.'

'I'm sorry,' she said so low Lynley wasn't sure she'd really said it.

'Get well,' she added with a forced smile.

She closed the door silently behind her. She didn't answer when Denton asked her if she wanted a cup of tea before she left. She was feeling depressed, and sad, and guilty about Lynley. When she found herself behind the wheel in her car the tears she'd been holding back started to roll freely down her cheeks. She slammed her hand on the wheel but it didn't help her. Tears kept welling up in her eyes as if they had a life of their own.

 _Tommy, I love you too._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chalk Farm, 14 February**

 _Another year, another Valentine's day alone. And it's all my fault,_ Barbara thought gloomily.

It was not that she was particularly fond of Valentine's day. Another commercial event, organized by the lobbies of florists, chocolate makers, cards sellers and the like she suspected. Still it would be nice not to be alone on that special day. All the more since a little voice at the back of her head kept reminding her that she could have had the best Valentine possible.

It's been three weeks since Lynley was back at work and he acted as if they had never had this conversation in his bedroom. Barbara didn't know what to make of this. She knew he wasn't the one to accept defeat so easily; she had seen him with Helen, he had used all his charm on her till she fell in his arms. Why wasn't he doing the same thing with her? Why was he accepting defeat so easily?

 _Because he doesn't really love you, stupid._

The explanation was obvious and simple but inside her she couldn't accept it.

 _Why do you care? You rejected his gift, you rejected his love when he offered it,_ the pesky voice insisted mercilessly. _Do you wish you hadn't?_

'I don't know!' she cried out loud.

Knock! Knock, knock!

The sound made her jump. One knock followed by two more rapid. Lynley's signature. What was he doing at her door in the evening? Quickly, she put the leftovers of her dinner in the fridge and gave the table a wipe. Her heart was racing in her chest

Knock! Knock, knock!

Louder this time.

'Havers?'

'Coming!' she yelled back.

She threw a circular look around the room - no knickers in sight – and went to open the door.

He was standing on her doorstep, his umbrella in one hand and an enormous bunch of red roses in the other.

'Good evening, Barbara.'

'Evenin', sir.'

'May I come in? The rain's pretty cold.'

'Sure, I'd never forgive myself if you fell ill again.'

'Thank you.'

'Give me your umbrella,' she said, seeing him struggling to close it.

'I'd rather you take the flowers, if you don't mind.'

'Who are they for?' she asked as he followed her inside.

Tommy certainly didn't expect that question; the most complete surprise was written on his face.

'They're for you, Barbara.'

'Me?'

'It would be boorish of me to come and see a woman with a bunch of flowers for someone else, wouldn't it? Happy Valentine's Day.'

Barbara's jaw dropped.

'Valentine…Me?'

Tommy smiled.

'Yes, you. I didn't think you would be so surprised; not after I opened my heart to you the other day.'

'And then you didn't say anything for three weeks! I thought it was over, chapter closed.'

Lynley had his eyes riveted on her, and she felt he was reading her soul, laying it bare.

'You thought I regretted telling you I loved you.'

She was about to protest when she realized it was pointless; he knew her too much.

'Yeah, it crossed my mind,' she admitted reluctantly. She put the roses down on her table a bit abruptly, creasing the delicate petals.

'You really have a low opinion of me.'

'What did you expect? You were so unsure of your feelings you used a trick to give me a necklace without me knowing who gave it to me.'

'Not one of my cleverest ideas, I must admit, but my feelings were true.'

'You're talking in the past tense,' she remarked acidly.

' _Are_ true; my feelings _are_ true. I wouldn't be here otherwise. '

She eyed him intensely during a long moment. Tommy barely dared breathe. Finally, she said:

'I don't want to hide. I don't want to be your toy, or the one you turn to when there's nobody better around.'

'Barb…'

'Let me finish. I'd love to be your Valentine, to go out with you but there'll be a time when you are ashamed of me.'

'No,…'

'Just keep quiet! You'll be ashamed of how I look, how I speak, how I eat my asparagus, whatever. You'll want to keep me hidden from your family and your friends. Don't. Never. If you don't feel good with me by your side, as your _girlfriend_ , let's call it a day and go our separate ways. If you're not ready to be honest about you and me, forget it.'

By the time she finished she was almost as red as the roses. An awkward silence grew between them. Barbara started fiddling with the ribbon that bound the roses.

'Can I speak now?' Lynley asked.

She threw him a dark look but nodded her agreement.

'First of all, I will never, NEVER, be ashamed of you.'

'Wait...'

'Now it's _your_ time to listen, Barbara. I never wanted to hide my feelings for you; I had planned more than the necklace but with the season's holidays and my bronchitis I didn't find the time before you found out about the emerald. I've never wanted to hurt you. I don't want you to be my _toy_ , I want you to be my girlfriend. I love you, Barbara, and I want the world to know it. I promise to always be honest with you, for better and for worse.'

'No hiding?'

'No hiding.'

'I want so much to believe you…' she said in a cracked voice.

'Believe me then, believe me. I brought you something. Maybe it will convince you I'm sincere.'

From the inner pocket of his rain coat he took out a small case and handed it to Barbara.

'Another gift?' she asked as she took the case.

'An old one I improved.'

She opened the case and smiled.

'You had it cut.'

Inside the case, on a red sating cushion was her necklace. The emerald cut in a pear shape was sparkling with glints of the deepest green.

'It's beautiful,' Barbara said.

'Like you. Will you accept it now?'

'Are you sure you want me to? Everybody will know who gave it to me.'

'I do hope so,' he replied cheerfully, 'it may be helpful to fend off any other suitor.'

'I've no other suitor.'

She smiled at him.

'Would you help me fasten it?'

'With pleasure.'

He took the jewel from its case and put it around her neck as she held her hair away from her nape. When his fingers brushed her skin, she came out in goose pimples. Softly he kissed her neck and felt her body gave itself up to his caress.

When she turned around to face him, her eyes were glittering as much as the emerald.

'Thank you, Tommy. This is the best Valentine's day of my life.'

'This is only the first, Barbara.'

Gently he cupped her face and kissed her. Her lips were soft but she was a bit clumsy at the beginning. He put his arms around her waist and drew her to him. Gradually she relaxed and started to kiss him back. They stayed a long moment embraced in silence until Tommy said:

'I love you, Barbara.'

'I love you too. No more hiding then?'

He didn't reply and went to open the door. For a second Barbara feared he was leaving but he just stepped outside under the rain and shouted as loudly as he could:

'I'M IN LOVE WITH BARBARA HAVERS !'

He heard her chuckled in his back and he was happy. When he closed the door again, he knew he was at home.


End file.
